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USDA
Approves Three Labs to Conduct Official Scrapie Genotyping Three
laboratories which conduct genotyping tests on sheep to determine
susceptibility to scrapie have been officially approved by the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service-Veterinary Services (APHIS-VS) of the U.
S. Department of Agriculture (USDA.). They
are GenMark, DeForest, Wis.; GeneCheck, Inc., Fort Collins, Colo.; and
GeneSeek, Inc., Lincoln, Neb. The
approved laboratories are eligible to conduct privately funded official
genotype testing and compete for testing done as part of the National
Accelerated Scrapie Eradication Program (NASEP).
The approval lasts for one year and is subject to review and
renewal. This means that the test results from blood samples drawn and
submitted by accredited veterinarians at their clients’ request and
expense will be officially recognized by APHIS when tested at one of these
laboratories. Other
laboratories that have applied for approval and demonstrated that they
meet the standards required by APHIS-VS will be posted on the Scrapie
website when they have received notification of approval as official
genotyping laboratories. Genotyping
testing is a key element in the NASEP program as part of the Genetic Based
Flock Clean-up and Monitoring Plans for flocks identified as exposed to or
infected with scrapie. It is
also becoming an important management tool for some producers who are
breeding for scrapie resistance.
This
information and other topics relating to the scrapie eradication program
are available at www.animalagriculture.org/scrapie.
# Note:
Contact information below. Laboratories
Approved for Scrapie Genotyping GenMark
GeneCheck,
Inc.
GeneSeek,
Inc.
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